NCJ Number
144651
Journal
Women and Criminal Justice Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: (1993) Pages: 31-63
Date Published
1993
Length
33 pages
Annotation
The 1981 Fanchon Blake consent decree, which set hiring goals and revised certain standards for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), was a major force for the progress of policewomen.
Abstract
In 1973, Fanchon Blake, then a 25-year veteran of the LAPD, won a lawsuit charging that the city of Los Angeles, the LAPD, Los Angeles Board of Civil Service Commissioners, and Police Chief Ed Davis had discriminated against her and other plaintiffs based on their gender. She took advantage of the recently passed 1972 amendments to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which compelled State and local government agencies to comply with antidiscrimination laws. If not for the decree, policewomen's roles would still be minor. Even so, full implementation of the decree, in spirit and not just in letter, has been inhibited by such factors as the political environment, attitudes of the Chief, administrative structure, budgetary environment, and culture of the department. Responses in a 1988 survey among 2,000 LAPD officers indicated, among other things, that policewomen still had not gained full acceptance. 9 tables, 10 endnotes, and 32 references